With a roomy performance space, a fierce cast of local queens, and an impressive lineup of guest stars, it is safe to say that Lashes has found its new home in SoDo's newest queer bar, The Comeback (1950 First Ave. S).
Seattle drag darling Ladie Chablis hosted Lashes at R Place for over 17 years before the bar permanently closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of its lease (though it is searching for a new home). It was a staple drag show at a staple Queer bar, and the closure brought great uncertainty about the weekly show's future.
Luckily, its fate is anything but uncertain now.
Lashes sees no small crowds; seats have been filled since The Comeback's opening in January. The bar's general manager, Floyd Lovelady, gushed that it feels "simply amazing" to see such success after the difficulties of the move.
"When I see a packed house in a space twice the size of R Place, and Chablis doing her magic as the spotlight hits her, it's so magical — audiences jumping and throwing money in the air for all the cast. We did it: a true 'comeback.'"
Lovelady also noted that "having room for more people allows me to book certain entertainers" that would have generated a "hefty ticket price" at R Place. The impressive lineup of visiting drag queens add that much more excitement to the return of the beloved show.
In fact, this past Friday and Saturday, RuPaul's Drag Race favorite Silky Nutmeg Ganache headlined Lashes with glamour and raunch to boot. The self-proclaimed "Big Silk with the Good Milk" sauntered through the crowd to Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" in a glimmering slit dress with elegant pageant drag accessories. She professed her love for Seattle and its oddities, claiming that last time she visited, "Y'all tried to take me to the hallway with the bubblegum... y'all started the pandemic with that."
Ganache encouraged patrons to slip tips into her "cash register" (wig), and took a firm stance on the subject: if you're tipping her, you better also be tipping the local queens. And if you're buying her a round, you're buying the whole cast a round.
Beyond tipping being the industry standard (and just the decent thing to do), the Lashes Seattle performers put on quite the show. The night's lineup consisted of alternating numbers performed by Miss Texas 1988, Dion Dior Black, Mila Skyy, Kung Pow Meow, and the drag duo Luchi.
Some acts were prop-heavy: Miss Texas 1988 bit the heads off Ken dolls in a rendition of "Heads Will Roll," and Kung Pow Meow shocked with a Kill Bill outfit reveal, swinging around a silver baton-saber to "I'll Make a Man Out of You." The crowd went wild.
Classics and current hit songs varied the pace and kept the show fresh. Ladie Chablis danced on Silky Ganache's lap while effortlessly lip-synching to "Finally." Dion Dior Black embodied Saucy Santana's "Material Girl."
You could feel the buzz of a satisfied crowd, thankful their old haunts are new and improved. SoDo has potential for a recentering of large-scale nightlife in Seattle. In the words of Ladie Chablis, "We are about to make SoDo Gay. It's gonna be Homo-SoDo."
Lovelady explained that while the old Pine Street location holds a special place in his heart, "the more time I've spent down here the more I've fallen in love with it. It reminds me of what Seattle used to be like: the charm of the old buildings, side streets, lots of parking. And rush hour traffic here is waiting three minutes for a train to pass." With lots of R Place furniture and most staff and performers back, he assured me that "it feels like home."
In the coming weeks, The Comeback is hosting numerous events to look forward to. "March Dragness" starts this month, with performances by Drag Race season 14 queens Willow Pill, Lady Camden, Angeria Paris VanMichaels, and Daya Betty on successive Fridays. Additionally, Drag Race UK vs. The World's Pangina Heals and multiple-season Drag Race queen Shangela are part of the upcoming lineup.
Hop on the light rail, take a ferry, find your bus route, or drive and relish in the ample parking — The Comeback is here to stay.
Event dates and tickets can be found at thecomebackseattle.com.